Category Archives: USA Trips

Albuquerque Balloon Festival, October 2014

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I have always wanted to attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival and this year I made it happen. My wife Linna and my good friend Mike Curry joined me for a four day weekend of relaxation and fun. The world’s largest hot air balloon festival usually takes place the first weekend of October with over 700 balloons and considered to be the most photographed event in the world. I don’t think I saw one person without a camera, Linna must have taken over 400 pictures herself.

Mike and I flew in earlier than Linna on Thursday so we headed to the Marble Brewery www.marblebrewery (off of Marble Avenue) in the warehouse district in Albuquerque. This is a hip pub that brews an variety of seasonal beers on draft, they also had a live band playing that night…bonus!

Friday morning was our lift off in a hot air balloon for the first time in our lives…exciting! The three of us decided on a more personal flight so we paid extra for a basket only for us and of course our pilot; some of these baskets will hold up to twelve people. We hooked up with Rainbow Ryders www.rainbowryders which I would totally recommend. They are experienced, organized, entertaining and safe. The flight lasted only for an hour, but it was so peaceful and serene I could have floated all day; your flight time is limited to the fuel you have aboard.

With plenty of day left after our first ever balloon ride we were off to Santa Fe for some leisure sight-seeing. We met up with Garth Heuchert and his wife Patricia Chou for dinner at MÁS – Tapas y Vino back in Albuquerque. I have to give Patricia credit on finding this wonderful restaurant that specializes in tapas located in the historic Hotel Andaluz. Garth and Patricia are friends of ours from Seattle and now live in the cool city of Austin, Texas.

Colorado Trip, July 2014

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The last time Linna and I hiked in Colorado was two years ago during my birthday week where I summited Colorado’s highest peak Mt. Elbert. This trip we flew an early morning flight from Seattle to Denver via Alaska Airlines. Once we landed we still had a 4 ½ hour drive from the Denver airport to Crested Butte…this can be a little tiring after a while driving two lane highways behind large trucks and RV’s.

This year we met up again in Crested Butte with basically the same group of friends but with a few more people this time. Our group rented a huge house in the Mt. Crested Butte area overlooking mountains and the Crested Butte village.

We spent four relaxing days enjoying fabulous homemade Chinese food, local hiking and the mountain scenery. Our first group hike was off of CR734 on Augusta Mountain with an elevation gain of 3,000 feet. This was supposed to be an easy hike but we took a different route and ended up adding more adventure to this hike with a river crossing and some rock scrambling.

Our second hiking day was the opposite, it was supposed to be the longer hike up to West Maroon Pass but was pretty much a photo shoot of beautiful wildflowers on West Maroon Valley. An easier hike was totally cool with me especially with the first few days consisting of flying, driving and hiking.
The four day trip ended up with a stupid move on my part by leaving our car keys in the vacation rental house…our car was parked at the SeaTac airport; I called a good friend of mine Mike Curry for a ride home.

Hawaii Trip, May 2014

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Most Seattleites either fly south to Mexico/Arizona area or off to Hawaii for a warm weather vacation. For some odd reason this will be my first visit to the Hawaii islands. My good friend Jim Darmiento set the ball a rolling by finding an enormous house on the beach in the town of Hana on the island of Maui for all of us to appreciate. When I say all of us I mean Linna Freeman (my wife), Ione Darmiento (Jim’s wife) Rick Massie (friend and co-worker), Scott and his wife Jesse (daughter and son in law to Ione).

We all flew the same airline and flight over to Maua on Hawaiian Airlines for only $300. After landing, we drove to Costco to pick up groceries for the week; we had no preset meal plan so we all just grabbed something we wanted to consume or cook up.

Once on the road the adventure begins right away with the famous twisty rode to Hana with hundreds of tight curves and single lane bridges. We just happened to hit a huge rain storm all the way to Hana; the torrents of rain was crashing down between the hillsides which was totally awesome to witness the power of rain-water. The guidebook stated that “Hana as a reputation for being a rainy place and receives over 80 inches of rain yearly”, our first two days clearly lived up to that.

We chose Hana for more a peaceful serene setting without the tourist influence. Our house was perfectly located near the famous Hamoa Beach…considered one of the best beaches in the Maui for body surfing. Our crew woke around sunrise (06:00) each day to start the day with a hot cup of Kona java and a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs that was cooked up by our own Rick Massie. After breakfast each day was a short walk to Hamoa beach; most mornings we were the first ones enjoying the fine salt and pepper sand and the powerful waves.

We left our perfect location one day to hike the Pipiwai trail to the Waimoku waterfall. This is a very easy 2 mile trek of only 600 feet gain with a mystical 400 foot waterfall that awaits your arrival. Another day excursion we were off to one of the largest and coolest freshwater pools called Waioko by the Hawaiians or the Venus pool by others. You will find numerous deep spots to dive or jump in…depending how courageous you are. Jim Darmiento and I were the only daring among us to make the plunge in the darkish colored water from being so deep.

We had the pleasure to witness a beautiful marriage ceremony right on our own beach house. Scott and Jesse decided exchange wedding vows in Maui after being together for over 10 years.

Winthrop Ski Trip, February 2014

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We make a trip to Winthrop, Washington at least once a year for cross-country skiing. We took off from Seattle on Thursday making a four day holiday. Our group consisted of Rick Massie, Jim Darmiento and his wife Ione and my wife Linna Wei. About half way to Winthrop, we stopped for lunch at the Milepost 111 Brewing Company www.milepost111brewingcompany.com in Cashmere, Washington for a sandwich and beer.

We have been staying at the Cottonwood Cottage www.cottonwood-cottage.com for the last four visits. This three bedroom cabin is located on the outskirts of Winthrop right on the Methow River and walking distance from Methow Valley Trail System. The Methow Valley www.mvsta.com is considered to have more cross country ski trails than any other place in United States.

After settling into the Cottonwood Cottage we were off to our favorite pub house in Winthrop….the Old School Brewery www.oldschoolhousebrewery.com This small place has been around for years and if you don’t get there early on weekends, you will find yourself standing. They have live music on Friday and Saturday and usually a different band each night.

This year the state of Washington didn’t receive much snow including the Methow Valley which limited where we skied. We actually had to drive to higher elevation to find quality skiing.

San Francisco Trip, January 2014

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It seems I make it down to the bay area at least once a year and every visit is fulfilled with fabulous restaurants, architectural site seeing, massages and cool neighborhoods.

I have always wanted to check out La Folie www.lafolie.com in San Francisco. Each course was spectacular and Chef Roland made the dining experience near perfect with his passion for French cuisine.

The next day we were off to the popular Yank Sing Restaurant in the Rincon Center. This is your high-end Dim Sum Chinese restaurant www.yanksing.com. This is a must hit when in San Fran….this place rocks, they have the best Xiao Long Bao.

After over indulging on some of the best dim sum in the Bay Area a hike up to the Coit tower was in order, this tower on the historic Telegraph Hill was built back in 1933 on a Federal Works project. If you walk from the bottom like I did it takes over 400 steps to get to the tower; after all of my sweating efforts it was closed for painting…totally bummed me out. After walking all day we stopped for a massage in China Town, this made up for the long stair climb to Coit Tower. I had a well deserved full hour full body massage.

Oklahoma Trip, October 2013

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The last time I was in Oklahoma was the same reason I flew back this time…a Trujillo wedding. Four years ago it was Miranda Trujillo marrying John Williams, this time it was Miranda’s younger brother Chaz marrying Jessica Cornell. I have known both Miranda and Chaz from birth and had the privileged to see them develop into wonderful young adults.

As soon as I landed in Tulsa I headed toward Jay, Oklahoma to visit my longtime friend Randy Trujillo and his wife Merikki. After a few beers and some bullshitting, we took off to see Jessica and Chaz…the soon to be newlyweds. Chaz was in the process of making a wooden bench for people to sign at the wedding.

Next day I met up with Chaz and his good friend Matt Rush at the J-Cafe for a hearty breakfast…the biscuits and gravy type. After filling the belly up with sunny-side up eggs and hash-browns Chaz took me to the quarry pit to shoot my 1911 style Kimber and Zig-M handguns; both are .45 calibers.

I wasn’t in the wedding, but I was invited to the wedding rehearsal and to the cabin at the Sycamore Springs Ranch goo.gl/YCceuG where the wedding and reception was held. After the dinner rehearsal the men of the wedding party and of course little ole me spent the night at the cabin. But before we passed out and woke-up to a few scorpions on the walls, Chaz and I did what any grown testosterone filled man would do…wrestled in the dirt. It was all good…bloody ear and a few bruises.

The wedding day was picture-perfect with comfortable temperatures; it rained earlier in the day…enough to settle the dust and cleanse the air. I found myself on the mechanical bull later in the night at the reception, not sure how long I rode but I think did pretty well for a city slicker. Next day my inner legs were bruised and arm aching from hanging on for dear life.

Before I flew back to Seattle the next day, I met up with my sister Dawn and her husband Ben Hosterman for lunch at the Atlas Grill goo.gl/QBfu5S. Located in downtown Tulsa in the Atlas Life Building, they serve up delicious breakfast and lunch…a must hit. They brought their handsome son Hayden along…an intelligent active young boy!

Winthrop, WA Trip, September 2013

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The last time I visited Winthrop goo.gl/7yrYi6 was January, 2012 for some bad ass cross country skiing with the same group on this trip; Jim and Ione Darmiento, Rick Massie and my wife Linna. My friend and co-worker Jim Darmiento rented the same cabin goo.gl/BJtMK6 this year as he did for the January trip and again…it was perfect. All four of us drove up on Thursday and met at the cabin and then headed off to town for some warm Mexican food.

Contrary to popular belief, not all Chinese know how to ride a bike; this was Linna’s first riding experience and just the little bit we saw in the parking lot….we were having doubts. She successfully rode the trails and only biffed it once after hitting a rock sticking up. After a shower back at the cabin, we headed to our favorite place in Wintrop the School House for some grub and beers. We ended the night back at the cabin sitting around the firepit.

Next day we hiked up Goat Peak to say hi to the famous Lightning Bill; he has manned the forest look-out tower every summer for 19 years. He was actually boarding up the tower for the winter as we summited. After a few pictures and munching down Linna’s legendary sandwich we headed back down for a hot shower to get ready for dinner at the Sun Mountain Lodge.

We packed up and headed toward Seattle Sunday morning stopping in Leavenworth, Washington for lunch.

San Diego Trip, August 2013

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First, let me say this about the perfect weather city…speedy drivers. Maybe it feels that way due to my years of driving in Seattle with some of the nation’s slowest drivers. Of course having numerous highways with several lanes through-out San Diego it made it a breeze to drive all over.

This was my first time in sunny San Diego where I spent the whole weekend in and around the city. My wife Linna and I flew down via Alaska Airlines to visit our niece Chloe Wei. She is spending four months with a host family while attending San Diego State University.

We met up with Chloe on Friday afternoon and ended up at a highly rated family owned Italian restaurant located in Gas Lamp district, same area where our hotel was located. I highly recommend Busalacchi’s, www.busalacchia.com especially on the weekends when the Jazz band is playing.

New Car, March 2013

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After eleven lovely years with my BMW 530i, today I traded it for a new 2013 Audi S6…S standing for Superfast!

Nebraska Trip, July 2012

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I had two main reasons for this trip, to see my sister Nova in Nebraska and to summit Mt. Elbert on my 52nd birthday in Colorado. I flew to Omaha via a Minneapolis connection by myself; Linna would join me later in the week in Denver. It was a smooth and sunny flight over to Minneapolis; the beautiful Cascades still had a lot of snow on top.

After flying into Omaha, I grabbed a rental car and drove over to my sister Alicia’s house in La Vista, Nebraska for a long overdue visit with her and her children Kason and Jolie. Later in the day I drove over to Lincoln to meet up with Brad Wilcher an old classmate of mine from high school. I lived with Brad and his family for a small stint my senior year in Cozad and we have maintained a worthy correspondence ever since. We ended up having a few beers at a local hot spot talking about old times, people and sharing a few laughs.

The next day was a leisurely drive to Kearney, Nebraska to meet up with my sister Nova where she was having some medical testing done. She was diagnosed with cancer about 1 1/2 years ago; she looked great for what she has endured. After her testing we met at the Alley Rose, about the only nice restaurant in this small college town of 30,000 people. I didn’t have any plans after dinner so I decided to call John Dorsey on a whim who lives in my hometown of Cozad. After a quick 45 minute drive I was sitting in John’s backyard enjoying a refreshing cold beverage with him and his son Mike Dorsey. Mike is a retired Marine and is living out to Johnson Lake for a few months before heading onto Alaska where he will guide big game hunts and fishing trips. John was nice enough to offer up a guest bedroom and a delicious brunch the next day. Before driving out to Johnson Lake for a swim I stopped by to chat with Deb Hunke, another old classmate of mine.

Later in the evening I met up with my ex-brother-n-law Brad Stallbaumer and his wife Gina Krysl Clyde at the local Elks Club. During dinner a woman came over to grab a spare chair from our table and to my surprise it was another classmate of mine Renee Rowe, it seems I run into her on every Cozad trip I make. After dinner we cruised around Cozad and to check out Brad’s house where he is adding another 2,200 square feet.

I left Cozad around 9:30 p.m. to head toward Denver; I thought I would stay at the Hampton Inn in North Platte about a 45 minute drive west. They were full, no biggie I said to myself…I will drive to the next town toward Denver. Well, the next town and the next town were all full too. I finally pulled over in a hotel parking lot and crawled in back of my rented Jeep and crashed about 1:30 a.m. After sleeping for about 6 hours I woke up in my same clothes I had on the day before and went into the Hampton Inn and had breakfast. I picked up my wife Linna at the Denver airport at 3:00 p.m. and headed for Mt. Elbert, my birthday hike.